


Split

by blackfin



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, M/M, Post-Season/Series 08 Finale, split personality
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-19
Updated: 2019-01-29
Packaged: 2019-10-12 12:06:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 10,298
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17467235
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/blackfin/pseuds/blackfin
Summary: The calls come every night at the same time. On the other end is Shiro, smiling at him with a warm glimmer in his eyes that Keith hasn't seen in years. Talking comes easy, easier than it has since he last left Earth to wander the galaxy with the Blades, hoping to forget just how much he loves his once close friend.Only the person on the other end isn't the Shiro he last saw gliding across the dance floor with his new husband. This Shiro looks him in the eye as he's demanding to be told the truth and says without hesitation, 'Baby, we've been boyfriends for two years now'.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by the combined efforts of cockybusiness and sheithpocalypse  
> also posted on my tumblr, blackfen, and my twitter, tenebrisfen  
> i actually really don't like writing angst but... when the mood hits ya, it's better to just get it out of your system

To say he was getting frustrated was the understatement of the century. 

Curled up on his side, staring at the wall, a white hot fire burning in his belly, the smoke traveling up to his lungs and heart, where it settled into the delicate membranes as a sharp, steady ache, Keith tried to make his eyes close, tried to force his body to take that one crucial step towards actually being able to sleep but every time he left himself be engulfed in darkness, Shiro’s baffled expression – one with a hint of agitation around the edges, not enough that someone unfamiliar with him would be able to see but for Keith, it was as clear as daylight – floated up from the dredges of his mind, and he found himself, once again, infuriated to the point that he felt sick. 

Behind him, the comm suddenly lit up, emitting a soft squeak that made him flinch. He glanced over at the clock. Right on fucking time. Groaning, he rolled over onto his back to glance over at it. When he saw the familiar name float up onto the screen, he immediately rolled back over, staunchly determined to ignore it. A couple squeaks later, and the thing went quiet. He was thrown into silence again, the only sound being the blood rushing in his ear. What was this? No, seriously, what the fuck was this? Was Shiro messing with him? Was that what this was? Some kind of sick joke? Keith forced himself to take a deep breath. No, no, he knew that wasn’t the case. Shiro would never do something like that…

He was just tired. There’d been a lot of stuff going on, and with this…bizarreness thrown into the mix, he’d been knocked all out of sorts. Right now, he just needed to get some sleep so that tomorrow he would be well rested, and thus would have an easier time just putting all of this out of his thoughts. Tomorrow, he would forget about all the strange calls, he’d forgot about Shiro’s annoyance and exasperation at something that Keith knew was happening but couldn’t explain or understand – he’d forget about all of it. 

The comm lit up again, the same familiar squeak. Once again, Keith rolled over, took one look at the screen, and rolled back. Not tonight. He’d answered it every night that this had happened for the past month but not tonight. Whatever joke this was, whoever was playing this cruel trick on him, he’d had enough. No more. The comm went silent. Keith let out a long, heavy breath. Just as he was about to inhale, it lit up again. 

And again. 

And again, and again, and again. 

By the sixth time, red was burning around the corners of his vision. Every muscle in his body was so tense that he was shocked his spine didn’t snap in half. Hurling himself up off the bed, he stomped over to the comm, slammed his hand down onto the answer button and snarled, “What?!”

“There you are.” Shiro’s soft, smooth voice, full of gentle warmth and happiness floated up from the speaker. On screen, his face was clearly visible. The same face he’d seen earlier in the day, looking at him with increasing annoyance, carefully hidden behind a mask of surprise, peered at him through the screen. Only this time, the gaze looking at him was disarmingly sweet. A slight smile tugged at the corners of full lips. There was a comfortable, open, honest look to the Shiro on the screen. 

“Shiro, this isn’t funny.” Keith said coldly. 

Thick eyebrows rose in surprise. Shiro cocked his head, and asked, “What’s not funny?”

“This!” Keith exploded, jabbing a finger at the screen. 

“Keith, I don’t understand. Tell me what’s wrong.” Shiro said soothingly, “Did something happen?” 

Scrubbing one hand over his face, Keith snapped, “Why did you lie to me?”

“Lied to you? When?” Shiro responded, sounding confused. 

“You said earlier that we haven’t spoken in months!”

“When did I say that?” 

“Earlier! When I called you, and asked why you always called me so late, you said we haven’t talked in months! Why did you lie to me? Why did you say that we haven’t talked when you’ve clearly been contacting me?” 

Shiro stared at him for a moment, thick brows knit together over a concerned gaze. Speaking slowly, he said, “Keith, this is the first time I’ve contacted you today.”

“Stop-!” Raising up one fist to bring it down hard onto the comm station, Keith stopped short just before impact. Sucking in a deep, shaky breath, swallowing hard against the bile rising in his throat, his stomach a whirling mass of just nausea, Keith set both hands down onto the cool surface of the comm surface, focusing every ounce of his attention on that sensation, of the cold bite of the metal against his skin. He could feel his heart beating. There was a rush of noise in his ears as blood thundered through his veins. He couldn’t remember the last time he was this enraged. It must’ve been years ago, when Voltron was still actually a thing. 

“Keith-“ Shiro began to say, obvious concerned laced through his soft voice. 

“Don’t.” He coughed out, “Just don’t.”

Sitting down heavily in the nearby chair, covering his face with his hands, he waited until he felt like he could actually breathe again before asking, “Why did you lie to me?” 

“Keith, I’m telling the truth. I don’t know what you’re talking about. This is the first time we’ve spoken since yesterday.” 

“I talked to you earlier!” Keith exclaimed hotly, “You told me that we-“

“Keith.” Shiro said, “Baby, listen, you need to-“

Whatever he said next was lost to a barrage of cacophonous confusion. ‘Baby’…Shiro had…Shiro had just called him…’baby’. Why…why had Shiro called him ‘baby’? Shiro didn’t call him ‘baby’, Shiro called him Keith, why had Shiro called him ‘baby’?

…who the fuck was he talking to?

The thought had crossed his mind that this might be a huge, elaborate prank or some kind of enemy somewhere trying to trick him but he’d never given a whole lot of credence to the thought…until now that is. Sitting straight up, his anger cooling in response to what might be new found information that could explain this bizarre situation, Keith asked, “Are you really Shiro?” 

“As far as I know.” Shiro chuckled, but the smile was quick to fade when Keith didn’t smile back. “Keith, what’s-?”

“Why’d you call me ‘baby’?”

“What?” 

“Just a few moments ago, why’d you call me ‘baby’?” 

Looking thoroughly confused by that point, Shiro glanced off to the side, almost as though he didn’t understand the question then looked back, and said slowly, “Because you’re my boyfriend?”

“…..huh?” 

“Keith, what’s going on? Are you okay? Listen, maybe you should come home-“

“What the fuck are you talking about? Shiro, you’re married! You’ve been married for six years now!” 

And now there was concern added into the obvious confusion, “Keith, we’ve been together for two years. We haven’t even broached the topic of getting married yet. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I’d love to-“

“Not to me! To Curtis!”

“Who? Keith, baby, is your Mom there? Can you go get her?” 

If he got out of that chair, he was going to fall flat on his face. His head wasn’t just whirling, it was caught up in a goddamn tornado. Gawking, not even sure what to think at that point – if this was someone trying to trick him, they were doing a sorry fucking job of it. Boyfriend? They hadn’t seen each other in person in six years! They’d barely spoken in those six years! Shiro was married, not to him but Curtis, a man Shiro had only met once, and it was one the first fucking day of his life. The question stood be answer again, even though he didn’t have any information that could fucking answer it: what was this?! Who was this? Why did he look exactly like Shiro, talk like Shiro but ultimately, obviously, wasn’t fucking Shiro? 

“Keith-“ 

“Just, stop. I can’t-“ Keith pushed his fingers through his mussed hair. It had to be a trick but if it was a trick, why would they use such an obviously fake story? Who in their right mind would actually think he’d fall for this? It was stupid, beyond asinine! This couldn’t be Shiro! 

“Baby, please, look at me.” 

“Stop calling me that!” Keith shouted, his head shouting up. Tears slipped out of the corners of his eyes. The reaction from Shiro was immediate. Eyes widening in shock and alarm, he jumped up from his seat, one large hand resting on the corner of the screen, staring up with a look that clearly said that he wanted to be there with him, to be right beside him…but there was millions of light years between them. 

“Baby, baby, look at me, what’s wrong? Tell me what’s-“ 

Suddenly, Shiro’s voice stopped. The transmission was still ongoing but he went still, his expression suddenly slack, eyes completely blank. Letting out a sharp, hard breath, Keith leaned forward, his thoughts racing – was he finally going to see who was behind all this? Was the master mind behind this cruel, unfair prank going to be revealed, giving him a glimpse of whose face he was going to crush underneath the heel of his boot? - then Shiro seemed to jerk back to life. Giving his head a hard shake, he pinched the bridge of his nose, blinked rapidly several times then slowly looked up. 

“Keith?” He said groggily, “What are you? What’s going on?” 

“Why’d you call me?” Keith asked softly. 

“Call you? Keith, are you still on that? I told you, I haven’t called you.” 

“You called me just now.” Keith snapped, suddenly angry all over again. “That’s why we’re talking. Shiro-“

“Keith,” Shiro sighed with obvious irritation, “I don’t have time for this. Curtis and I have a lot of stuff we need to get done tomorrow. I don’t know what’s going on but I’m telling you the truth: I have not called you.”

“Then why are we talking?” 

“I don’t know, Keith.” Shiro replied tersely, then seemed to realize how harshly he was speaking. Sighing heavily, his shoulders slumping, Shiro brushed a hand through his short hair, and for the first time, Keith noticed how exhausted he looked, “I’ll talk to you later, Keith. Good night.” 

With that, Shiro disconnected the transmission, leaving Keith staring at a blank screen. Sitting back in his chair, angry, confused and exhausted himself, the realization that this wasn’t a prank or a trick crept up from somewhere deep inside his mind. For one, the logistics of it just didn’t work. Two, he couldn’t fathom any reason to do this, other than to cause him torment and this was a little excessive, even for a lot of the enemies he’d made along the way. Three…well, instinct, something he learned to trust a long time ago. Anger, sadness and confusion had caused him to jump to a knee jerk assumption, one that was meant to hurriedly explain something incomprehensible. Now that the source of all those emotions had been removed, leaving him with a smoldering fire deep within the pits of his belly, he couldn’t think…semi clearly. 

And it was obvious. That was Shiro…both of them. One was married to Curtis, and didn’t remember calling him during the middle of the night to talk like they’d use to before…before Allura sacrificed herself. The other…Keith’s heart twisted in agony…boyfriend, the other thought they were boyfriends and he was the one who called him. Two Shiros…existing in the same body. It felt like a huge jump to just assume that was the case but…what other explanation was there? None, as far as he could see. He’d even saw the switch, right in front of his very eyes! Shiro probably didn’t even realize it – that’s why he didn’t know he’d been making calls to him in the middle of the night. 

“Two Shiros.” Keith mumbled, slowly standing up, the world tilting dangerously. Stumbling back over to his bed, he dropped down heavily, rolled back over onto his side, and curled up into a tight ball. This…this was information he never wanted. There was a Shiro who he used to be close to, who he watched get further and further and further away as their lives became radically different. There was a Shiro he watched walk down the aisle, into the arms of a man who wasn’t him. There was a Shiro who he could barely just talk to anymore – the awkwardness between them was so immense that, at times, he felt as though he was talking to a total stranger. That alone had almost been too much for him to bear, driving him to put even more distance between them so he wouldn’t have to deal with the agony of being an acquaintance after he had once laid bare everything, only to have it forgotten and left to fall into the white abyss of an unknown planet but now…

There was a Shiro who loved him, who called him ‘baby’, who said he was his boyfriend, and they’d been together for years. Yet, there was no relief, no sweetness, no joy to be found in that because this Shiro, an amalgamation of the real one, was hidden deep within the subconscious of a man he loved so much that the night he got married, Keith had spent the night bent over a toilet, vomiting up wave after wave of stomach acid until his throat bled. That…was beyond cruel. It didn’t matter who that Shiro was, what caused such a dramatic split between the two personalities or why this Shiro was in love with him while the other had married someone else, none of it mattered. All that mattered, in that one single solitary moment, was that for the second time, Keith had been given a glimpse of what it felt like to be loved by that man, only to have it ripped away, leaving him gasping for breath, halfway wishing he had never met him in the first place.


	2. Chapter 2

Against his better judgement, Keith let Shiro know that he was coming back to Earth for a short amount of time – the first time he’d been home since leaving six years ago. Things had been…tense between them since that night. None of them mentioned the incident, and Keith especially didn’t tell Shiro that since then, the calls coming from him had escalated. At first, it was only at one specific time during the middle of the night. Since then, the number had increased. Whoever that Shiro was, he was taking control more often, and all he seemed to do was call Keith. Rationality told him not to answer. Curiosity…along with a desperate desire, one that left him feeling cold and sick, forced him to answer. 

To be able to talk to Shiro like that again. To see that smile, and know it was just for him. Knowing that this Shiro loved him, that this Shiro only looked at him with that warmth, that happiness…it became a drug that he quickly became addicted to. He told himself over and over again, every single time the call ended – which was usually when Shiro blanking out, his face momentarily turning into a wax figure (Keith always ended the call to prevent any more awkwardness) that it was the last time, that he wasn’t going to answer when the comm next lit up with that name splattered across the screen. 

Every time. 

And every time, he failed to hold himself to that. Even though he knew that all of this would just end in heartbreak, that he was lying to himself by facilitating a relationship with a falsified personality, born out of who knows what, he couldn’t stop himself. Shiro whispered ‘baby’ through the speaker on the comm, looking up at him with those gorgeous eyes, and Keith greedily hoarded every syllable. He knew it was wrong, that he should try harder to convince the real Shiro that something was wrong – that there was a new personality lurking inside the complicated process of his mind, one of which didn’t even know who Curtis was, who had completely disregarded the decisions he had made, and was making ones of his own but every time he went to do so, every time he opened his mouth with the words resting on the tip of his tongue, he suddenly found himself mute. 

Their relationship had become even rockier. It was something that the both of them tried to hide but it was there, lurking underneath the surface like some demented, malformed monster, waiting for just the right moment for the both of them to slip up so it could drag them under the murk. He didn’t know what had originally driven this wedge between them but Keith got a feeling that it wasn’t really him that was behind it. Something else was going on, something that Shiro was doing everything in his power to prevent him from seeing. Whatever it was, combined with the strangeness of this new personality, who might be taking a toll on Shiro, it was putting a strain on their already tense relationship. 

Even if he were to speak, he doubted Shiro would listen. If anything, it could end up being the final blow that took out that already shaky foundations. So, wallowing in guilt, remembering how soft and loving and gentle Shiro’s voice was when he called him ‘baby’ during the wee hours of the morning, Keith kept his silence. In an attempt to patch up the damage that had been done, as well as hoping that he might gain some insight into what was going on, Keith offhandedly informed Shiro he was coming back to earth for a couple of weeks. To his surprise, Shiro actually, genuinely, seemed happy that he was coming to Earth. He proposed getting together for coffee so they could catch up in person. Keith had agreed, the time and date was set, and he thought that had been it. 

In hindsight, he really should have known better. 

Looking through the peephole in the hotel door, his heart thundering inside his chest, droplets of waters running down his bare skin, one hand clenched onto the towel around his waist, Keith’s face might’ve not shown it but there was a massive internal conflict going on inside his head. Let him in or bolt. Standing on the other side of the door was Shiro, shifting his weight from one foot to another, occasionally glancing down at the phone in his hand. In the other hand was a bouquet of flowers – beautiful pink roses. There was no doubt in his mind that this was the other Shiro. Not the one he had made plans with already. It obviously was making him very stupid right at that moment but it hadn’t crossed his mind earlier that the other Shiro might have access to main Shiro’s memories. If he told one Shiro, it was possible that both Shiros knew. Probably didn’t apply to all things since other Shiro didn’t know who Curtis was but it seemed like that too much of a stretch of the imagination to think that maybe this Shiro only paid attention to stuff that involved him. 

Biting his lower lip, Keith sucked in a low, shaky breath. He couldn’t just leave him standing there. Not just because that felt like a thing that was physically impossible to do but because this Shiro could be a little pushy. If Keith didn’t answer the comm, he kept calling until he did. If Keith didn’t open the door, he’d keep knocking, possibly even until main Shiro woke up. Meaning, while he’d like to think there were some options in this, there honestly weren’t. Sighing heavily, his shoulders slumping, Keith undid the lock, and opened the door. 

A huge smile spread across Shiro’s face when their gazes met. Before he could say anything, Shiro was rushing forward, gathering him up into a firm, warm embrace. A kiss landed firmly on his cheek, making his heart lurch in detestable excitement. Shiro’s hands, one large and warm, the other even bigger and a little cold smoothed over his bare back, leaving behind a trail of pleasant tingling, leading him to come to the obvious realization that he was still naked, except for the towel, which didn’t provide that much coverage. 

“Hey, baby.” Shiro whispered into his ear, “You smell so good.”

“I need to get dressed.” Keith placed a hand against Shiro’s muscular chest, and tried to push away. Only for Shiro’s arms to lock firmly in place, holding him tightly to him. Just as Keith was looking up to sternly tell him to let him go so he could put some clothes on, one of Shiro’s hands slid up to cup the side of his face. Warm, calloused skin brushed against his own. Strong fingers brushed through his wet hair, pushing it away from his face. It was one thing to be on the other side of the comm, looking at Shiro through the pixelated screen - to be there, staring up into that loving, warm, wanting gaze overwhelmed him to such an extent that when Shiro dipped down to press their lips together in a hungry, powerful kiss, devouring his mouth with an intensity that was almost frightening, Keith’s mind went completely blank. 

He moved on instinct. Hesitantly, cautiously returning the kiss, moving his lips against Shiro’s, baffled by how smooth they were. Slowly wrapping his arms around Shiro’s broad shoulders, anchoring them even more firmly together, Keith was distantly aware that they were moving, that Shiro was easily leading them further into the room, over to where the moderate size bed was tucked into the corner. Somewhere along the way, the towel slipped from around his waist. Shiro’s hands roamed over him, never staying in one spot for too long, opting to touch everywhere he could reach in their current position. They dropped down, Shiro’s comforting weight gracefully falling on top of him, pushing him against the mattress. 

Breaking the kiss, Shiro leaned back, his face adorably flushed, eyes heavy lidded, a smile tugging at the corners of his lips. Placing a hand on Keith’s heaving chest, gaze greedily roaming over his naked body, he whispered, “I’ve missed you so much, baby.”

The cold band of Shiro’s wedding ring was pressed against his overheated skin. Keith’s chest tightened, a swell of pain blooming in his chest. It grew and grew and grew until he was almost screaming from the sheer agony. Covering his face with his hands, biting back a sob, he said in a trembling voice, “Get off me. Please.” 

“Keith, baby, what’s wrong?” The backs of Shiro’s fingers brushed across the curve of his cheek, and he was halfway tempted to bite them off Shiro’s hand. 

Jerking his head away, he slammed one hand against Shiro’s chest, knocking him backwards. Getting up from the bed, ignoring the stab of fresh pain that pierced through his heart at the hurt, confused look on Shiro’s face, he pointed down at Shiro’s hand and snapped, “That! That’s what’s wrong.”

Looking down to where he was pointing, Shiro stared at the band of silver on his finger for what felt like an eternity. Fighting down the urge to puke, still able to feel Shiro’s lips on his, his hands moving across his skin, his warmth clinging to him, Keith went over to his suitcase to get out some clothes. Just as he was pulling on an old, worn pair of jeans, there was a shift of movement from his side. Shiro was slowly turning the ring on his finger, a dazed, distant expression on his face. The realization that he was probably going to be dealing with the real Shiro soon dawned on him, getting him even closer to the point where he was certain he was going to throw up. Pushing a shaky hand through his wet hair, Keith started to walk back over to him when Shiro, abruptly, pulled the ring from his finger, turned and threw it with vicious strength across the room. It clanged against one of the nearby walls, falling to the floor with a sharp clink. 

“Shiro, what-!” Before he could finish speaking, a powerful hand grabbed hold of his wrist, yanking him forward and back down onto the bed. He was given no time to react. Shiro straddled him in one smooth, graceful movement, pressing his body down against the blanket with the weight of his bigger body. Clamping down on the sides of his head, holding him firmly in place, Shiro smashed their lips together, shoving his tongue deep into his mouth. 

Growling low in his throat, Keith slipped a leg between Shiro’s and brought it straight up, slamming the curve of his knee directly against Shiro’s crotch. The result was instantaneous. Groaning loudly, Shiro jerked back up, his face twisted in pain. Panting hard, fat droplets of sweat standing out prominently on his smooth forehead, he hunched over, lowering down until his forehead was resting on Keith’s chest. Placing a hand on one of his broad shoulders, Keith pushed but Shiro wouldn’t budge. 

“Get off.” He said quietly. 

“No.” Shiro rasped in response. 

“I said get off!” Keith snapped, pushing him even more firmly. 

“Stop!” Shiro suddenly roared, shooting back up, setting a devastated, agonized gaze on him. All the breath was knocked from his lungs. A layer of cold coated his muscles. Freezing in place, eyes stretching open wide, Keith couldn’t help but to flinch a little when Shiro’s hand returned to his cheek, the calloused palm brushing over his skin, “Stop, please. Keith, just…stop.” 

“You’re married, Shiro.” Keith said outright, “We aren’t in a relationship. We never have been.”

“Stop.” 

Blinking back the tears that were threatening to fall at any moment, Keith gently covered the back of Shiro’s hand with his own, “Shiro, whatever scenario you’ve created where we’re together, it’s not real. You…you’re a fragmented piece of the real Shiro’s personality. There’s another-“

“I know.” Shiro whispered, “I know that, Keith.” 

“What?” 

Shiro sighed heavily, his broad shoulders slumping. Brushing the pad of his thumb along the curve of Keith’s cheek, he said, “I’ve known since the night that you realized there were two of us. But, you’re wrong about one thing. I’m not a fragmented piece. I originally wasn’t him at all. This body is my body, and your Allura put him in here with me.”

“You’re the-“ Clone was what he was going to say but one looked into that pained gaze, and the word died on his throat. 

“Our consciousness merged seamlessly when Allura transferred him into my body. I was too weak, to fragmented to fight it and, at the time, I didn’t want to. I was exhausted, broken, and letting him take over was easy.” 

“What happened?” 

“Him being a colossal idiot.” Shiro said bitterly, “That’s what. Somewhere along the way, everything got screwed up. He…we…we were supposed to be with you. We were never supposed to be separated from you, we love you so much but he…he went and married someone else! You left! I watched you walk away, I watched him walk into that man’s arms and I…I couldn’t accept it. Our Keith, my Keith! We left you, we walked away from you. He forced me to leave you behind! I fought…I fought for years against him, against his consciousness but he constantly pushed back, telling himself, telling me over and over again that what he’d done was what he wanted until finally, I was able to use that resistance to cause a rift between our two consciousnesses and break free.” 

Letting out a hard, shuddering breath, Shiro continued, “That time…it’s all a blur. All that mattered to me was you. I wanted to see you, to be with you but he was in control. I could only take control for short periods, during which I had no memory of him or his life. There was only you, there’s always been only you. I finally was able to contact you. I was so happy seeing your face, hearing your voice. I made myself a story to believe, and I did believe it…until that night.” 

“You remembered the other Shiro, the one you broke away from.” 

“Yes. Before that, my control over this body was limited. I could usually only manage twenty or so minutes before his consciousness reemerged. When he took control again, it was like I went to sleep. Sometimes, I would catch glimpses of his life but never enough to make sense of them. After I remembered, my ability to control this body grew. I could remain in control for longer. I remained conscious for longer. When he regained control, I was able to keep myself awake, watching him play out his life while I waited for my chance.”

“Does the other Shiro know?” 

“No, not as far as I’m aware. I know he’s noticed something is amiss but he’d never come to the conclusion that there’s someone else living in his head.” 

Keith was silent for a moment then slowly said, “The last time that we interacted with one another, you tried to kill me.” 

“I did.” Shiro responded softly, remorse gleaming in his dark eyes, “Haggar’s hold on me was absolute. I didn’t even consider fighting it…until you freed me. The last few moments I was conscious, freed from her control, able to live and breathe as the man I am, you filled up my entire existence, and I was reminded just how much I loved you.”

“Shiro-“

“A replication of his personality was placed into this body, meant to fool the ones closest to him, and it worked but there was a side effect to that that Haggar couldn’t possibly conceive of. He loved you. He wouldn’t…couldn’t admit it to himself, and that love was so important to him, so vital to who he was that it was transferred into the replication. Into me. At first, just a copy, a simulation of what he felt but the more time I was with you, I began to adore every breath you took, every gesture, every word, every ounce of your being until you consumed me.”

Leaning down slowly, Shiro pressed a soft, gentle, sweet kiss onto his lips, and whispered, “I’ve loved you…always. Even under her control, I loved you. Even after me and him merged together, I loved you. I love you, Keith.”

Keith laughed, a low, hollow bitter sound that sounded like a twig snapping. Jerking back, his eyes wide, Shiro went to say something but he held up a hand to stop him. Covering his face with the other, Keith let out a long, shaky breath. This…this was getting to be more than he could handle. What did Shiro think he’d feel right now, being told all this? Happiness? Relief? No, he felt like he was being torn in fucking two. He might as well have shoved his hand down his throat until it reached his heart, ripped it out of his chest and thrown it against the wall to fall down beside his wedding ring. That would have been less fucking painful than being told all this. The man he loved, had always loved, had loved for so fucking long that it had developed into a cancerous growth on his mind, torturing him the moment his focus slipped and fled to the man who could never be fucking his…telling him that they both loved him but he, a flighty consciousness, born from a replication, taking over the body of the real Shiro, was the only one who would voice it. 

What was he supposed to do in response? What was he supposed to say? Shiro, the real Shiro was hidden in there somewhere, pushing against the restraints of this Shiro’s consciousness, waiting to pop back up and when he did, that terrible, suffocating awkwardness, tinted with tension would return, and he’d be left, devastated, remembering the sensation of Shiro’s lips on his, of his warmth, his weight and knowing that no matter how many times that Shiro said that he loved him, no matter how many times he managed to take over and they could still brief moments together, it would always end with him in agony, drowning in his guilt at betraying Shiro’s trust because even if this one loved him, wanted to be with him; even if this one claimed that both Shiro’s loved him, the other…the real one was married. 

He hadn’t chosen him. How could he allow this to happen, knowing that the real Shiro was in there somewhere? That this was his body, and he hadn’t given Keith the right to touch it, to kiss it? This…no matter how much he wanted to be with Shiro, as much as it hurt to look the man in the face while he was saying he loved him with a bared, vulnerable earnestness and honesty and turn away…this was wrong. He couldn’t…he couldn’t do this. 

Digging his blunt fingernails into his skin, desperately fighting to keep himself from unraveling, from just flying into hysterics and screaming himself hoarse, Keith said, “Get off.” 

“Keith-“

“Please, just…get off me, Shiro.” He whispered, his voice cracking. 

“No.” 

“Shiro, I said-“

“Baby-“

“Don’t call me that!” Keith exclaimed sharply, slamming one hand hard against Shiro’s chest, “We’re not in a relationship. We’re not boyfriends, or lovers or anything! I can’t do something like that. I can’t…I can’t betray Shiro like that. You might love me but he doesn’t-!”

“He does! Keith, he…that Shiro, he’s miserable. He misses you so much and doesn’t even realize that’s part of why he’s so unhappy. You’ve noticed it, too. I know you have, you just haven’t had anything to connect it to. Do you want to know why he always looks so tired? Why he’s been so tense and distant? Because he’s fucking miserable, and he won’t let himself admit that. He spends every waking moment trying to convince himself that he made the right choice, that he’s happy but it’s all a lie.”

“Is that really the truth or just another lie you told yourself?” Keith asked coldly. 

Shiro stared down at him for a moment, brows knit together over a conflicted gaze then he slowly leaned back, breathing out slowly, “He loves you, and I will make him see that. If the only way I can be with you is to create harmony between me and him, to merge back into his consciousness until we are one whole being then so fucking be it.” 

Bracing his hands on either side of Keith’s head, that determined stare boring into him, Shiro offered one more small smile then his face went slack, all emotion fleeing from his dark eyes. Inhaling sharply, quickly realizing what Shiro had just done, Keith tried to scramble backwards but too little, too late. Like a switch being flipped back on, the spark of awareness came back into Shiro’s eyes. He blinked blearily a couple times, giving his head a little shake. Frozen, bracing for what was definitely going to be a negative reaction, Keith could only watch as Shiro focused on him, recognition slowly dawning on his face. 

“Keith?” He whispered, “What’re you-“ 

His words trailed off as he looked down, fully taking in just what kind of position they were in. Mouth falling open slightly, Shiro jerked backwards, stumbling away, one hand raising up to knot into his short hair. Keith remained still, staring up at the ceiling for a few moments before slowly sitting up. Shiro stood a couple paces away from the bed, looking confused and alarmed, glancing around the room as though he could find some kind of answer in the outdated TV and lone, worn chair by the window. Crossing his legs in front of him, regretting his decision to come back to Earth, and even moreso, regretting having told Shiro that he was, Keith waited patiently for Shiro to recover, not at all hurried to get to the blaming and denial that was sure to come. 

“What was I-?” Shiro whispered, “What were we-?” 

The taste of Shiro’s mouth was still coating his tongue. Getting up from the bed, he walked over to the bathroom to get a glass of water to rinse it away. It felt wrong to have that sweet, comforting flavor playing its notes across his tastebuds while the real Shiro was steps away from a mental crisis. However, before he could reach the doorway, Shiro reached out to snag his elbow. Flinching, he instinctively tried to jerk away, tugging against the cold, metallic hand holding onto him. He expected for Shiro to let him go, to stumble another step backwards with that same confused…almost frightened expression on his face but instead, to his shock, Shiro yanked him forward into a powerful, crushing embrace. 

Burying his face into Keith’s hair, he let out a long, shuddering breath and whispered, “I’ve missed you, buddy.”

Keith could only stand there, limply, staring up at the wall over Shiro’s broad shoulder. Slowly, he raised his hands to curl them into the thin material of Shiro’s shirt. Resting his cheek against the curve of where his shoulder met his neck, Keith let his eyes flutter closed, breathing in Shiro’s familiar scent, and whispered, “I’ve missed you, too.” 

“We need to talk, don’t we?” Shiro asked, one of his large hands resting on the back of Keith’s head, strong fingers weaving through the still wet locks. 

“Yeah,” Keith nodded, “we do.”


	3. Chapter 3

He told Shiro….nearly everything, omitting some parts that seemed best left for after he’d digested, as best he could, the fact that there was a completely different version of him currently living inside his head, one of whom could frequently take control of his body without his consent or knowledge. Curled up in the well-worn chair, hugging his legs to his chest, Keith fell quiet after he finished explaining, warily watching Shiro, a lot nervous to see what his reaction would be. Hands hanging uselessly between his knees, perched on the end of the bed, Shiro stared down blankly at the floor for what seemed like a millennia, the only movement he made was to occasionally blink – he didn’t even seem to be breathing – before he finally spoke in a low, quiet voice.   
“So this…other me…he’s the clone from years ago? From when my consciousness was stuck in the Black Lion?” 

“Yeah.” 

“I thought his consciousness vanished when Allura merged me into his body.”

Keith shrugged one shoulder, “I don’t really know the logistics of it. That’s what he told me. Considering everything else, I was inclined to believe him.”

Shiro was silent for a moment, then sighed heavily, his shoulders slumping, “This…actually makes a lot of sense.”

“It does?” Keith asked in surprise. 

“Yeah.” Shiro paused for a moment before sighing again, “I’ve been experiencing blackouts, Keith. Sections of time during which I have no idea what I did or where I was. Started happening about a year ago. At first, it was just a couple of seconds, almost like I zoned out before jerking back to reality but over time, the time I spent ‘zoned out’ got longer and longer until I was losing entire hours. There were these huge blank spots in my memory. I was determined to just ignore them but couldn’t exactly when Curtis…he confronted me on it. He told me there were times when we were doing something together or were in close proximity to one another, and I would go…funny, is what he called it. After that I’d completely ignore him if he talked to me and wander off. Sometimes even out of the house. 

Dropping his head further, Shiro murmured, “He said what made him approach me about it was after it happened at a restaurant. We were having dinner, I went funny and got up to leave. Curtis, he grabbed my wrist to stop me. He said when he did, I looked down at him with such an expression of contempt and hatred that he thought I was going to hit him. He said he was so scared that he was half tempted to lock all the doors when he got home. I don’t remember doing any of that, Keith.”

“That was him. I-“ Keith said cautiously, “He doesn’t like Curtis very much.” 

“What does he want?” Shiro asked after a prolonged silence, one that stretched to the point that had Keith uncomfortably squirming in his chair, tossing around ideas of anything he could use to break it, only to immediately wish to go back to the silence after that question was posed. 

Blinking owlishly at Shiro, realizing that he’d probably should have been preparing for that part of this whole convoluted thing from the moment they started talking but he’d been so distracted on trying to finagle his way around it that he hadn’t given what he could possibly say a single thought. Brain stalling, the straightforward, honest words right on the tip of his tongue, held captive there by the immense monster of panic gripping his throat in a stranglehold, Keith knew he had to say something – Shiro was looking more and more pale as the seconds ticked past, and it was more than certain in his mind that there must be millions of reasons flying through his – but what the fuck could he say? 

‘Your clone started taking over your body because he’s madly in love with me?’ – now, didn’t that just sound a loaded as fuck statement. The situation was already bad enough, did he really want to involve something like that? What else could he say, though? Frantically searching his mind for some way he could handle this delicately but only finding the same obvious response again and again – to just fucking tell him – Keith pressed the tips of his fingers to his temple, closed his eyes and said, “Shiro, that-“ 

“I’ve missed you.” Shiro interrupted him, his voice soft, “I was really happy when you told me you were coming back to Earth.” 

“I’ve missed you, too, Shiro.” Keith replied, suddenly feeling exhausted. 

“I’m sorry for how harsh I’ve been with you the past few times we’ve talked.” Shiro paused for a moment, then added, “I’m sorry for not believing you about all this.” 

Keith waved a hand dismissively, offering a small, reassuring smile, “It’s alright. If I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes – saw you switch from him to you – I wouldn’t have believed it either.” 

“Did he take my ring off?” Shiro asked quietly, stretching out the fingers on his human hand. 

“Yeah. It’s over there. He, um…he threw it. I’m sorry, I didn’t get a chance to stop him.” 

Looking over to where Keith was indicating, Shiro slowly got up off the bed, walked over to where the gold band lay on the floor and picked it up. To Keith’s surprise, he didn’t put it back on. Instead, he cupped it in the curve of his palm, went back over to the bed and plopped down. Sighing heavily, he dropped the ring onto the mattress beside him, his dark eyes gazing down at it with an unreadable expression on his face. Nervously glancing between him and the ring, a sense of dread building up in his chest, Keith made to say something, stopped, then nervously licked his lips before going for it again. 

“Shiro-“

“Curtis and I…we’re getting divorced.” 

“…huh?” Was all Keith could manage to say, a little bit convinced that he hadn’t heard Shiro correctly. 

Sighing heavily, Shiro pushed stark white hair away from his face then let his hand fall limply between his legs, “We were having problems long before this started. By the time I started blacking out for extended periods, we were already talking about splitting up. I think…that night in the restaurant really drove it home for the both of us. We signed the papers about two days ago. It should be official by tomorrow.”

Mouth hanging open, Keith sputtered, “Shiro, I’m sorry-“

Shiro shook his head, “No, it’s alright.”

Another bout of silence fell over them. This time, Keith was grateful for it. The other Shiro…he said that this one, the real one, was miserable, that he had been for some time, and couldn’t admit that to himself. He’d been hesitant to believe it, simply because of the circumstances, but with what he’d just found out…it was a lot easier to swallow now. Divorced. Honestly, he didn’t really know that much about Shiro’s relationship. He’d gone to the wedding, he met Curtis once but never put any effort to finding out about their daily goings-on. Thinking back, it was a little bit obvious that may have been why Shiro was so tense when they spoke. He couldn’t imagine getting divorced to the man you thought was your happily ever after could be easy. 

Why hadn’t Shiro told him, though? Was their friendship truly so strained that he hadn’t even bothered to let him know he was going through something like that? Frowning, his brows knit together over a pained gaze, Keith squeezed his legs tighter to his chest. Just how much distance was between them? 

“I didn’t tell anyone.” Shiro spoke up quietly, seemingly noticing the look on Keith’s face, “Part of me was embarrassed that me and Curtis weren’t able to work through it. I didn’t want to involve anyone in that kind of drama.” 

“Shiro, we’re your friends.” Keith said, “We would’ve wanted to be there for you.” 

Visibly flinching, Shiro blew out a long, heavy breath, scrubbing one large hand over his face, “I know. I’m sorry. Just…a lot of stuff has been happening, and I…I need to think my way through it.” 

“He said you’re miserable.” 

“What?” 

Keith jerked his chin in Shiro’s direction, “The other you. He said you’re miserable and that you spend so much time trying to convince yourself that you’re happy that you completely exhaust yourself.” He paused for a moment then cautiously prodded, “Is he right?” 

Shiro stared at him, wide eyed, for a moment, then turned away, his brows lowering. Frowning deeply, the paleness of his face more than a little alarming at that point, Shiro said, “He’s right.”

“Why? Shiro, what’s going on?” 

“It’s fine, Keith-“

“It’s not fine!” Keith snapped, so loudly that it made Shiro jump back. Getting to his feet, the rate of his heart picking up, a burst of heat flowing out from the center of his chest where a mass of pain and anger was beginning to grow, “Why? Why won’t you just talk to me? You never hid stuff before so why now? Are we just not friends anymore, is that it?” 

“No!” Shiro cried, jumping up, holding his hands out to Keith, “It’s not that. Keith, we’ll always be friends. Nothing will ever change that. You’re so goddamn important to me, I want you to know that. I just…I was wrong, okay?” 

“Wrong? About what?” 

“Everything. I was wrong about everything. I thought I knew what I wanted, I thought I had found what I wanted and without thinking about it, I threw myself headfirst into it. I married Curtis, I retired, I fucking nailed my feet to Earth’s surface and told myself that this was it, this was what was going to make me happy. I was wrong. The first couple of years were perfect, then you called me to excitedly tell me that you were part of a new excursion into unexplored space and I…I wanted to be there with you.”

Pushing a hand through his hair, Shiro sighed, “I devoured all pieces of information on that excursion. I drove Curtis mad by constantly talking about it. I wanted to be there, to be exploring with you but I was stuck on earth. That’s…that’s when I really started thinking about what I’d done. It wasn’t a conscious effort at first. Just little thoughts that wander in that I wouldn’t pay any attention to. Only it just kept happening, and the thoughts became louder until there wasn’t a moment when I wasn’t thinking about it. I missed being out there, I missed exploring, I missed the adventure, I missed…you.”

Shoulders slumping, Shiro murmured, “I missed you so fucking much. I wanted to race with you, to explore with you, to fucking be there with you but you were millions of miles away and I…I couldn’t admit to myself just how unhappy I was. I kept telling myself ‘this is your dream! This is what you wanted!’, over and over again till I could practically make myself puke from just thinking that first sentence. I started being so hard on myself that it even drove me to be harsh with you. I was taking out my own frustration on you. I’m sorry, Keith.” 

“It’s okay.” Keith replied quietly, plopping back down into the chair, the anger and pain fading away to a simmer, ready to surge out again if something else happened but content with standing by for now, “What changed? Why finally admit it to yourself?” 

“No other choice.” Shiro wearily shrugged one shoulder, “Curtis asked for a divorce. He said that it was obvious I wasn’t happy, and he was beginning to be affected by that. I managed to talk him into going to a marriage counselor, to try to work through it but it was a lost cause. Whatever the two of us perceived to be between us, it’d long worn off. We weren’t in love. We might’ve never been. Our divorce has been civil, quiet and quick. Neither one of us are interested in prolonging it with unnecessary trivialities.”

“You were still wearing your ring.” Keith gently pointed out. 

“We agreed we wouldn’t take them off until after the divorce was final. I am still married to him.”

“What are you going to do now?” 

“No idea.” Shiro chuckled mirthlessly, shaking his head, “I’ll figure that out later. Right now, my focus is more on the fact that there’s an interloper in my head who can pilot my body like a mecha. You never told me, why did he split away? What caused the rift?” 

Keith stared blankly up at him for a moment then heaved a soft sigh. Well, there really was no getting around this, was there? He didn’t have any choice but to, “He’s in love with me.”

“…huh?”

Covering his eyes with his hand, Keith sighed again, and said, “The other you. He’s in love with me. Has been since Haggar first implanted him in our group. That’s why. When you decided to marry Curtis, it caused a rift between the two of you because he wanted to stay with me.” 

“That’s why he-“

“Yeah.”

“That’s why we…just now, I was on top…oh…oh my god, Keith, please tell me he didn’t hurt you!” Shiro exclaimed, rushing forward to grab his shoulders, dropping gracefully down onto one knee. 

Jerking back in surprise, Keith shook his head, “No, no, he didn’t hurt me. Well, I mean…”

“What? Keith, what’d he do?”

“You’ll get angry.” Keith mumbled. 

“I won’t. I promise. He didn’t hurt you or…or force himself on you, did he?” 

Keith remained silent for a moment, then said, “Your crotch is hurting, right?”

“Yeah, how did…” Shiro trailed off, realization dawning on his face. Clenching his eyes tightly shut, he dropped his head, and moaned, “Oh, Keith, I’m so sorry.”

“It’s okay.” Keith said reassuringly, gently patting his head, “He backed off once I knee’d him in the crotch.”

Shiro sat heavily down onto the floor in front of him. Releasing Keith’s shoulders, he let his hands fall into his lap, where they sat idly. Blinking slowly, Keith tilted his head, and said, “You’re talking this a lot better than I thought you would.”

“Already had a suspicion.” Was all Shiro said in response.

He shouldn’t ask. That was the last thing he should do. Shiro, fuck…he couldn’t even begin to understand how stressful this must all be. On top of getting divorced and working out all of this emotional baggage he’d weighed himself down with, it couldn’t have been anywhere near easy to turn that something that’d caused so much trauma, so much distress years ago was still lingering inside his head, occasionally taking control of his body and driving his life around. He shouldn’t ask. Not now, maybe not ever. He should just be happy that Shiro missed him, that Shiro wanted to be around him, that he still viewed them as close friends, even after so much time and distance had been put between them. He shouldn’t ask. He shouldn’t, he knew he shouldn’t…

“Are you in love with me, Shiro?” 

And there he went. The moments the words were out of his mouth, he wanted nothing more than to take them back. Sickening heat poured into his face. A bitter bile spread in a noxious goo over his tongue, making it stick to the roof of his mouth, preventing him from retracting the statement, from backtracking, from doing anything that could make the hard jolt that wracked Shiro’s body any easier to witness. Clenching his eyes shut, mentally kicking himself across the fucking galaxy for lacking so much goddamn tact, Keith tried to make his tongue move. No use, it was stuck. He was stuck, he couldn’t move an inch. That question had been on the tip of his tongue ever since Shiro’s clone had said those words, whispered them with such heat and passion in his ears that they’d pierced through his mind. 

Something warm landed on his knee. Opening his eyes, his breath caught a little when he saw Shiro had rested his forehead on his leg. Breathing slowly, his broad shoulders visibly raising and falling from the force, Shiro made some sort of noise, he wasn’t too sure what it was supposed to be before falling quiet once more. 

“Shiro?” Keith said quietly. 

“Yeah.” 

“Yeah?” 

Shiro nodded, “Yeah.” 

He waited a moment for clarification. When none came, he gave Shiro’s head a little poke, “Yeah what?” 

“That was one of the reasons I could never admit to myself that I wasn’t happy.” Shiro murmured, each word spending a puff of hot air brushing across Keith’s skin, “I knew. I knew for a long time, maybe even before I married Curtis. I knew…and I was scared. When I finally made myself take notice of just how unhappy I was, I got scared because I started thinking about you. I missed you, I wanted you, and every day I thought ‘what if it’s been too long? What if he won’t look at me the same way? What if he’s found someone else?’, just talking myself into this endless loop of anxiety. I’d fucked up, I’d driven a wedge between us and it was too late to fix it.” 

Keith stared down at him silently for a moment then gave his head another hard jab, “Just say it.”

“I love you.” Shiro breathed after an extended pause, “I have for a really long time.”

“Why didn’t you tell me years ago?”

“Because I didn’t realize that’s what I was feeling years ago. By the time I did, I thought it was too late.”

Another poke, “Well, I’m telling you right now that it isn’t too late so look me in the eye and tell me.”

Slowly raising his head, Shiro’s dark gaze met his. They stared at one another for what felt like a very long time, Shiro’s expression uneasy but…adorably hopeful. It took every ounce of his willpower to not stroke the back of his fingers along the sharp curve of his cheek, to not push him through that stark white hair so he could finally know what it felt like for the strands to slip through his fingers. This…it wasn’t a dream, right? That felt so cliché to think but he couldn’t help it. This…how long had he wanted this exact scenario? How many hours had he sat, guilt ridden for wishing for the love of a married man, yet unable to drive the fantasies of this exact occurrence from his mind? Part of him wanted to believe it was just a dream, that he’d taken a blow to the head during a mission and was lying in a med bay somewhere but Shiro’s hand was warm and heavy on his knee. He could feel him breathing. He could smell the scent of his aftershave. 

He was there, right there in front of him. The real Shiro, not the clone that Haggar had created. The real one…his Shiro. 

“I love you.” Shiro said quietly but firmly. 

Nodding slowly, Keith said, “I expect a kiss when you and Curtis’s divorce is finalized.” 

Shiro’s eyes widened. To Keith’s delight, he actually sputtered, a massive amount of red flooding into his cheeks. Curling the metal hand around Keith’s knee, he said, “You’re okay with this?” 

Giving him an unamused, unimpressed look, Keith said flatly, “I’m not going to kiss you when you’re still married, Shiro.” 

“No, no, I wasn’t…that wasn’t what I was saying. I know you’d never do anything like that. It’s just…just like that?”

“Like what?” 

“You just…accepted it! No fuss or anything! Just…we’re…like that? Just like that?” 

Quirking an eyebrow, Keith asked, “Do you have an objection or-?”

“No, no! I don’t! Just…” Shiro fell silent then dropped his forehead back down onto Keith’s knee, “I’m going to shut up now.” 

“I’ve loved you for a very long time, Shiro.” Keith said quietly, reaching down to lightly brush the tips of his fingers through the short, soft hair at the base of his head, “I tried to let you go, I tried to forget you, I tried to stop loving you but it was no use. No matter how far I ran from you, my heart stayed planted firmly in your hands. I just grew to accept it. You think I’m going to object when you’re right in front of me, telling me what I’ve dreamed of hearing for years?”

Slowly shaking his head, Keith murmured, “Doesn’t matter how much time or distance. You’re my Shiro, and I’ve always been your Keith.” 

“You keep saying stuff like that and I seriously will kiss you.” Shiro mumbled, his voice muffled. 

And he was more than tempted to let him. Alas, it was going to have to wait. However, there was one thing he could do. Leaning down, he placed a soft, warm kiss onto the back of Shiro’s head, inhaling deeply, the subtle scent of his shampoo filling his lungs. Curling his arms as best he could around Shiro’s broad frame, sighing in relief when those muscular arms returned the embrace, the two of them stayed like that, completely ignoring how uncomfortable the position was, for a long time. The world around him just seemed to fade away, leaving nothing but Shiro’s warmth, his scent, his touch. It still didn’t feel completely real. Part of him was still expecting to wake up in the med bay, the sensation of Shiro still clinging to his skin. Yet, as the seconds ticked by into minutes, minutes into an hour, two, three, the realization that this was really real didn’t so much dawn on him as just quietly appear in his mind with a cup of coffee and a look that clearly said ‘you still on about that?’. 

“Do you want to come along with me when I head back to the port?” Keith asked softly. 

“Yeah. You’re leaving in a couple days, right?” 

“Yeah.” 

“That’ll give me enough time to tie up some loose ends and get ready.” 

“Will Curtis be upset?” 

“I think he knows something like this is coming.”

“Do you want to wait a while before telling him about us?” 

“Yeah, probably for the best, though I think he knew this would be coming as well.” 

“Why?” 

“Because I kept saying your name in my sleep.” 

Keith’s eyebrows shot up. Laughing softly, he said, “Did you really?” 

“Yeah,” Shiro responded, laughter clear in his voice as well, “More than once.” 

“If you get a chance…” Keith said, “you should thank him. He’s the reason that we even got to this point.” 

“I’ll try. Though, I get the feeling that he’s going to come out again.”

He didn’t say it but Keith…he hoped that the other Shiro was able to. That Shiro loved him just as much as this one did. It couldn’t have been easy to fight against this Shiro’s mind in order to gain enough control so that he could break free to gain some semblance of happiness, so that he could try to fix everything that’d gone wrong. He didn’t want him to just disappear back into this Shiro’s consciousness without getting the chance to tell him thank you, and that he loved him just as much as he loved this Shiro. After all, he was Shiro, no matter how or why, he was Shiro, and that meant…he was his Shiro.


End file.
